WJPA Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kyle Harrison struck out the final eight batters he faced, William Contreras homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Wednesday night. Harrison (9-2) gave up one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in five innings in his first start since July 8 after an IL stint due to left forearm tightness. Harrison took the mound to warm up for the sixth, but abruptly left before the inning began. Milwaukee later said he had cramps in both calves. He had the second-longest strikeout streak in Brewers history behind Corbin Burnes, who tied the major league record with 10 straight in 2021. Trevor Megill earned his 20th save with a perfect ninth.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have cut ties with veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna as they gear up for a playoff push. The club released the 35-year-old Ozuna following a nightmarish stretch in which the three-time All-Star could never seem to get on track. Ozuna hit eight homers and drove in 29 runs while batting .203 in 70 games with Pittsburgh. The Pirates, who are chasing their first postseason berth in more than a decade, promoted outfielder Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Ozuna’s roster spot.

Carson Beck makes his NFL debut and Kenny Pickett starts for his fifth team in four years. Welcome to the NFL preseason. If you want to see starters play, wait until next month when the games count in the standings. Or watch joint practices. The exhibition schedule kicks off Thursday night with Beck and the Arizona Cardinals facing Pickett and the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The preseason is an opportunity for rookies, backups and players fighting for roster spots to get snaps and showcase what they can do. Most first-round picks won’t play much.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald has formally worked out for the Los Angeles Rams. That’s presumably one of the final steps before the superstar defensive tackle decides whether to end his 2 1/2-year retirement. Donald has been training at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training complex and at home for several weeks in his attempt to return to NFL shape. While the Rams have emphasized their willingness to wait indefinitely for Donald to decide, coach Sean McVay has expressed cautious optimism in the past week about the prospect of lining up Donald and Myles Garrett together on a remarkable defensive line.